Topline
The Department of Health and Human Services is considering revising its longstanding recommendations on alcohol consumption, Reuters reported Wednesday—but research published over the past year warns that even moderate drinking can lead to health problems, including multiple types of cancer.
New U.S. Dietary Guidelines might soon be issued loosening the longstanding recommendations for … More
Key Facts
Since 1990, U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are reviewed every five years and were last updated in 2020, have recommended men limit their drinking to no more than two drinks per day, while women should limit their consumption to one drink per day.
Three unnamed sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the new guidelines, which could be released as soon as this month, would only include a statement encouraging moderation—but this could still be subject to change before the guidelines are released.
Alcohol is associated with increased risk of multiple types of cancer, including mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, breast and colorectal cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
HHS did not immediately return a request for comment from Forbes.
Chief Critic
Dr. Silvia Balbo, a researcher at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the Masonic Cancer Center, said the proposed new guidelines would be a “missed opportunity” to help educate the public about alcohol risks. “The question I always get is, how much is it safe for us to drink?” Balbo told Forbes. “Having a guideline that in general gives you an idea, a rough idea of what it means to drink in moderation is a good start,” Balbo said. Rather than scrapping the old guidelines, she would recommend expanding the existing guidelines to include better information for consumers. “I think expanding really on what that means would have been more helpful rather than going towards a more generic and vague indication that’s not going to really help people orient themselves in what it means to drink in moderation.” Balbo also pointed to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service guidelines, which offer charts and calculators to determine exactly how many units are in different drinks.
Key Background
Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s office issued an advisory report before he left office in January analyzing the risks of cancer associated with alcohol. “For certain cancers, like breast, mouth, and throat cancers, evidence shows that this risk may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day,” the report reads, noting that relative risk of developing certain cancers increases for both men and women who consume two or more drinks per day. Balbo said evidence for a connection between heavy drinking and cancer has been known for decades, but researchers are still working to understand how these cancers develop. Balbo’s lab works to understand these mechanisms, particularly those that cause head and neck cancers, and her research was cited in the surgeon general’s report in January. According to Balbo, alcohol converts into a compound called acetaldehyde as the body metabolizes it, which then harms the cells found in the mouth, which can cause DNA damage. “If this DNA damage does not get repaired … it just persists and leads to genetic changes and genomic instability,” Balbo told Forbes in an interview.
Surprising Fact
The surgeon general’s report also notes that only 45% of Americans are aware of the cancer risks associated with alcohol. However, 89% understand the link between tobacco and cancer, 81% know about the cancer risks with asbestos, and 91% are aware of the cancer risks from radiation.
Contra
In December 2024, a review conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found there was “insufficient evidence to support an association between moderate alcohol consumption and risks of oral cavity, pharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal cancers.” The report did note that moderate drinking could pose a higher risk for breast cancer in women. The report has since received heavy pushback from other researchers, including the National Cancer Institute, The New York Times reported in January.
Tangent
Studies have shown that alcohol consumption increased among most segments of the American population during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, more recent research indicates that younger millennials and Gen Z are drinking less than earlier generations. A Gallup poll published in 2023 indicated that the number of Americans between the ages of 18-34 who consume alcohol occasionally has fallen by 10 percentage points over the last 20 years. Simultaneously, younger Americans who do drink are consuming fewer drinks per week and cutting back on overdrinking, the same report found.
What Do Other Health Agencies Say?
Canada’s public health recommendations are close to America’s, recommending women drink no more than two drinks per day and men no more than three. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service recommends no more than 14 units of alcohol per week—six glasses of wine or six pints of beer spread out over three days or more. The World Health Organization takes a much stronger stance, warning there is no safe level of alcohol consumption at all and categorizing it as a Group 1 carcinogen—alongside asbestos, radiation and tobacco.
